Many innovations are being developed at the UN but colleagues still struggle to move from proven success at a pilot level to something that has a lasting effect in the wider world.
In 2023, we published Scaling the Summit: How the United Nations can expand promising ideas to change the world, which was the fruit of a literature review and interviews with experts from inside and outside the UN. One of its main recommendations was to create a formal “community of practice” to accelerate the adoption and diffusion of good practices in scaling innovation.
Inspired by this, Global Pulse got together with the UN Innovation Network (UNIN) to form a new subgroup of UNIN’s existing community. The group provides a platform for UN colleagues to share experiences and lessons they have learnt on innovation scaling. Global Pulse will facilitate this exchange with capacity development activities, including webinars and coffee chats.
Our impact
Our objective is to enhance the understanding of innovation scaling among UN staff, empowering them with improved knowledge and expertise in this critical area. We aim to foster a culture of knowledge-sharing, enabling over 200 UN staff to scale their innovations for better effect. This involves exchanging best practices, case studies and lessons learnt, specifically related to scaling.
We seek to raise awareness among community members about the broader UN innovation ecosystem, showing available resources, support, partnership opportunities and potential sources of funding. In this way, we hope community members will become contributors and drivers of effective innovation, with increased influence and visibility in the wider ecosystem.
We are promoting a shift in mindsets, encouraging collaboration and partnerships between different groups and entities to scale innovation effectively. Through a collaborative approach, we aim to optimise the scalability and sustainability of innovative solutions.